Law enforcement groups are opposing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the use of recreational marijuana in Florida.
The initiative will be on the November ballot as Amendment 3, and the Florida Police Chiefs Association and Florida Sheriffs Association wants Floridians to vote it down.
Under Amendment 3, ages 21 and older would be allowed to "possess, purchase, or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for nonmedical personal consumption by smoking, ingestion or otherwise.”
The Florida Sheriffs Association issued a statement on Tuesday that said the legislation brings "public health issues" and "road safety concerns."
"The well-being and health of the citizens of Florida are threatened through the legalization and normalization of recreational marijuana," said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell, the sheriffs association president.
The Florida Police Chiefs Association has also announced its opposition.
In a Tuesday statement, president Charles Vazquez said legalizing recreational marijuana opens the door for more crime, homelessness and traffic deaths.
"Based on the experience of other states, we know that law enforcement resources, as well as public health and other governmental services, will be taxed with new call volume due to the nature of marijuana impairment and its relationship to criminality, including victimization, and mental health," said Vazquez, chief of the Tampa International Airport Police Department .
The police chiefs association statement cited statistics from "published reports" that reflected a significant increase in traffic-related deaths involving cannabis.
"In Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, marijuana-related traffic deaths rose 140 percent from 2013 to 2019. Washington state, which also legalized the same year, saw fatal crashes involving drivers who tested THC-positive double by 2017," the police chiefs association said.
Some law enforcement officials have broken with their respective groups on the issue.
Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young publicly endorsed Amendment 3 and said if it passes his deputies will be able to focus more on getting drugs like fentanyl off the streets.
"When Amendment 3 passes, adults who choose to consume marijuana will be safer as a result because simple cannabis products legally purchased won’t contain those dangerous additives,” Young wrote in an opinion piece for the Tallahassee Democrat.
